By Alhassan Sillah in Conakry
Guineans are on tenterhooks as their country braces itself for what looks like an inevitable period of instability as supporters and opponents of President Alpha Conde prepare for a showdown over a proposed constitutional referendum to allow for a third term for the president.
The ruling RPG party has proposed the changes arguing that the existing constitution was never put to the people for their approval.
But opposition groups say this is a ploy by the RPG to change the constitution to enable President Conde, who must step down next year at the end of his second and final term, to run again.
The prospect for this referendum that will bring about the proposed changes led to the resignation last week of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Maitre Sheick Sako. Rumours abound that more cabinet resignations will follow.
However Guinean Prime Minister, Ibrahima Kassory Fofanah has moved to debunk these rumours. He told a packed press conference that he had the backing of all his ministers who, like himself, are in favour of a constitutional change.
Following this, an umbrella group of political parties, trade union organisations, civil society and rights groups under the aegis of the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC) has emerged. It is seen as the main opposition to the Third Term bid and the government has upped its campaign against this move.
At the weekend the group published the names of 20 individuals including government ministers, civil servants and ruling party officials whom it describes as the ringleaders promoting the third term bid.
The FNDC say they are forwarding the names to international institutions including the UN, ECOWAS, EU and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold the people accountable in case of trouble in the country. They promised to publish more names.
Guinea is described as a peaceful country but it has never been short of political drama and tension which sometimes swerved the nation toward the edge of precipice.
Shortly after independence in 1958, the country’s first president Ahmed Sekou Toure systematically eliminated his opponents forcing thousands into exile while he turned himself into a dreaded dictator.
Upon his death in 1984, Colonel Lansana Conte seized power. He opened up the political arena to multiparty politics but he also opened the gates to unbridled corruption that literally sank the country's bauxite-run economy.
When Conte died, another group of soldiers led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara again took over the reins of power in 2008. Camara was left incapacitated after an assassination attempt by his aide-de-camp and his second in Command Gen Sekouba Konate took over and finally allowed elections to be held.
Alpha Conde controversially won the polls in 2010 for his first five-year term. He was re-elected in 2015 for what should be his final five-year mandate, according to the constitution.
But with just a year left on his mandate, the 81-year-old wants to change the constitution to stay in power for life, his critics say.
© 2019 Politico Online
